Nursing is a challenging and fast-paced career. This career requires passion and hard work, which most professions lack. However, the benefits of becoming a nurse are so numerous that you can quickly develop your passion and make efforts to help the community, leaving positivity all around you.
The fact that you can leave a positive mark in someone's life every day is in itself reason enough for you to pursue this career. But here are eight other reasons why you should consider a career in nursing.
As nurses are an essential part of the healthcare team, there are never too many of them. The profession is always in demand and experiencing constant growth, as nurses have several opportunities for advancement. After graduating and gaining a few years of experience, they can quickly be promoted to an advanced practice clinical position or management position.
Additionally, nurses who choose to increase their knowledge through courses and certifications in specializations have greater growth potential. Their qualifications make them more attractive to employers and help them get a good package and a good position. For example, after earning your Associate Degree in Nursing or Bachelor of Science in Nursing and passing the NCLEX, you can practice as a nurse and wait until you have enough experience to get a promotion. Or you can practice as a nurse and earn your master's degree in nursing or director of nursing certification on the side to get an immediate promotion to director of nursing. Now you may have to spend a little and work harder to manage your work and studies. But the reward after reaching the position and getting the nursing director salary is worth it.
In addition to getting a higher salary than most people who have just completed their undergraduate degree, nurses enjoy several other benefits. Typically, the tuition and certification fees you spend to become a nurse are reimbursed. Nurses also receive paid vacation and sick leave.
Being part of the healthcare system also allows you to benefit from health and life insurance, as well as free wellness programs. The nurses also have childcare available. These are just some of the benefits nurses enjoy.
As the profession never fails, nurses know that they can easily find a job. If they don't like the establishment where they work, they know that they can always change because there is always someone or the other looking to hire a nurse.
Another advantage of being a nurse is having flexible hours and being able to choose your shifts. You can have an 8, 10 or 12 hour shift or even a longer shift if that’s what you want. After all, the longer the position, the sooner you'll complete your weekly hours and have free time to spend with your loved ones.
In addition to being able to choose the length of their shift, nurses can also choose the time of day they want to work their shift. For example, if you are not a morning person, you can opt for an evening or night shift.
Nurses who choose to work in educational settings receive two months off each summer, depending on the facility's schedule. They can also work only during institute opening hours and have the rest of the day to themselves.
Traveling nurses have the freedom to choose the workstation that will be offered to them as well as the location where they will work. If you want to work only during office hours, you can choose to become a community health nurse or a home health nurse. This way you will also have the weekends all to yourself.
Although you have the freedom to choose your hours and shifts, sometimes you have to make sacrifices and work overtime. As healthcare practitioners, nurses must be available to serve patients and ensure that everything is running smoothly in the hospital.
With a nursing degree, you have the choice of working in different locations, depending on your preferences. And if you don’t like the setting of your current workplace, you can easily change it.
You can choose to become a school nurse and work in any educational institution. You can also become a correctional nurse and take care of prisoners or become a forensic nurse and help the court collect evidence.
Other options include home care nurses, public health nurses, missionary nurses, nurse educators, clinical nurse researchers, and more. Once you're a nurse, you'll be able to look at these different career options and choose the one that best fits your personality and needs.
Choosing a career in healthcare always provides a sense of well-being as you treat patients and help improve their quality of life. Nursing is a rewarding career path where you make a difference in the lives of your patients. You have the chance to heal your patients, educate them and participate in their rehabilitation.
Seeing your patient recover and return to their daily lives will always bring you happiness and make you feel like a vital part of the community.
After earning your registered nurse designation, you can choose to become a traveling nurse and travel around the world. You will travel to different locations depending on the geographic shortage of nurses.
This career path also comes with a variety of benefits beyond travel. You receive a high salary and a benefits package that includes travel reimbursement, a housing allowance, and generally an hourly rate. You can even negotiate to get more benefits from your employer.
Another great perk of being a traveling nurse is seeing the new place you're going to like no tourist ever has. This is because the terms and conditions of your contract generally imply that you live for 26 weeks or more. So you can not only visit all tourist areas, but also discover new places that have not yet been discovered. You can also mingle with local people and learn new things.
Another great advantage of becoming a nurse is that you don't have to worry about updating your wardrobe regularly or spending a lot on it just because of the job. Nurses can wear the same color scrub every week of the month, and no one will find it unusual or make fun of it. In most places, nurses already have a uniform, so they don't have to worry about what they will wear to work the next day.
However, nurses must invest in comfortable shoes because their profession requires standing or walking for several hours to get from one patient's bed to another. There's no harm in having just one pair of work shoes and wearing them every day, as long as they're comfortable.
The pandemic has made everyone aware of the importance of nurses who worked day and night alongside doctors for the well-being of patients. Thanks to their dedication and hard work, nurses are now considered healthcare heroes. Choosing a career as a nurse means choosing a respected profession that everyone around you will admire and appreciate.
Conclusion
There's no doubt that becoming a nurse isn't always all rainbows and unicorns. However, as you enter the field and make your way, you will realize that the benefits outweigh the challenges and disadvantages.